MEC&F Expert Engineers : 07/01/16

Friday, July 1, 2016

Two people are dead and six people were injured, including four officers, after a crash that involved multiple vehicles and a house.


2 dead, 6 injured in Far South Side crash involving officers, house





Two people are dead and six people were injured, including four officers, after a crash that involved multiple vehicles and a house. (WLS)





By Evelyn Holmes
Updated 1 min ago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two people are dead and six people were injured, including four officers, after a crash that involved multiple vehicles and a house.

The crash took place before 11:30 a.m. at 124th and South Union in the West Pullman neighborhood.

"I was drinking coffee and I heard the boom. I ran out. And you can see that it was a bad accident," said neighbor Clarence Grant.

Police say the chase started in Tinley Park after a strong arm robbery around 11 a.m. and was continued north on the Dan Ryan by Illinois State Police. Chicago police officers from the 5th District were trying to intercept the chase when the crash occurred, slamming into a house belonging to Michael Wells.

"I heard a big banging sound like a... I thought we were being attacked. I didn't realize it was a car," Wells said. "The police were hollering, 'Come out! Come out! Come out!' They were screaming."

Four suspects - one woman and three men - were riding in a gold car that crashed with an unmarked police squad car, police say. Two were critically injured and taken to Northwestern Memorial, police said. Both have since died. The other two suspects are expected to be OK.

The four officers injured were in stable condition at Christ Hospital. The most seriously injured officer suffered a broken leg. Another officer suffered a broken arm.

First responders could be seen giving chest compressions to one injured suspect just after the crash. A man lying nearby in the grass near the crash scene was in handcuffs.







(Telena Tickens)

The Chicago police squad car was sent crashing into a house in the collision, then burst into flames. It was towed away Friday night.

A woman says her disabled father was sitting on the porch of the house when the car being chased slammed into an unmarked police SUV, which then careened into a corner home and destroyed a metal wheelchair ramp.

"Big ol' ramp. And if he would have had that little ol' ramp, who's to say what would have happened?" she said.

As the incident remains under investigation, some neighborhood residents are left shaken and questioning whether the police should have continued to chase the alleged robbers.

The initial robbery took place at an Arby's on 191st in Tinley Park, police said. The manager was about to make a bank drop around 10:56 a.m. when she was confronted in the parking lot by robbers. There was a struggle and the robbers got away with an unknown amount of money. The victim suffered minor injuries, but she did not go to the hospital.

1 woman was killed, 2 others were injured, including a police officer, in a 5-car crash in West Caldwell, New Jersey.









By Toni Yates
Friday, July 01, 2016 04:00PM
WEST CALDWELL, New Jersey (WABC) -- One woman was killed and two others were injured, including a police officer, in a five-car crash in New Jersey.

The crash happened at around 8:30 a.m. near Passaic and Fairfield Avenues in West Caldwell. A vehicle ran into a group of other cars that were stopped at a traffic light.

33-year-old Maria Tauro of Caldwell was rushed to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson where she was pronounced dead.

A West Caldwell police officer suffered non-life threatening injuries but was taken to Chilton Hospital in Pompton Plains for evaluation.

The driver of the vehicle that caused the crash, according to police, sustained back and neck injuries. No charges have been filed against him at this time.

The crash is being investigated by the West Caldwell Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Crash and Fire Investigations Unit and the Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force.

At least one person was killed, several injured when a van overturned on the Garden State Parkway in Holmdel Township, New Jersey


1 dead after van overturns on Garden State Parkway in Holmdel Township



Eyewitness News
Updated 6 mins ago
KEYPORT, New Jersey (WABC) -- At least one person was killed when a van overturned on the Garden State Parkway in Holmdel Township, New Jersey on Friday evening.

It happened on the GSP at 117 northbound at around 7:30 p.m.

It's not yet known how many of the other 13 people inside are injured, or if any other vehicles were involved. The injured were taken to Bayshore Hospital.

The northbound Garden State Parkway is closed approaching Exit 116.

2 workers fell from an aerial bucket lift and were killed at the Oxy Chemical Witchita plant




Two workers dead in accident at Wichita business

By KSN TV Published: June 30, 2016, 12:16 pm Updated: July 1, 2016, 10:02 am


WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Two men who were working for a contractor at OxyChem were killed in an industrial accident in the 6200 block of South Ridge Road. Officials say there was a failure in equipment, and two workers fell from a bucket truck owned by the contractor.

“First responders were on scene within five minutes and EMS was on scene shortly thereafter, but both men were pronounced dead at the scene,” said Lt Lin Dehning, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department.

Officials have not yet released the identities of the victims.

“We’re in the preliminary stages of the investigation, I will say this is being looked by not only the sheriff’s office, but also Oxy Chemicals, and the contractor all in conjunction with each-other,” added Dehning.

Dehning said investigators don’t consider the investigation into the deaths of the two workers a criminal investigation.

“The Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with Oxy and the contractor to determine exactly what happened,” Dehning said. “Like I said right now, we don’t have any
indication that it is anything more than an industrial accident.”

According to the plant’s website, OxyChem Wichita manufactures a number of chemicals, including sodium chlorite, chlorine, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen chloride and others.

Oxy Chemical Corporation Communications and Public Affairs Director Eric Moses issued the following statement late Thursday afternoon:

“Regrettably, two contractors lost their lives after an incident involving a failure of the contractor’s equipment. Our thoughts go out to the workers’ families and colleagues. The incident did not involve any chemical release and an investigation is underway.”


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2 workers with Sperry Brothers Inc were killed after the truck-mounted articulating boom collapsed at OxyChem in Kansas


OSHA investigating death of 2 contractors at OxyChem

By KSN TV Published: July 1, 2016, 10:25 am Updated: July 1, 2016, 11:04 am




Related Coverage
 
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Wichita office has opened an investigation after two men, ages 45 and 48, were killed Thursday.

The Sperry Brothers Inc. employees were performing electrical maintenance at the Occidental Chemical Corporation facility in Wichita.

Preliminary information indicates the two workers were in an articulating boom basket performing maintenance, approximately 55 feet above ground , when the truck-mounted articulating boom collapsed.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the employees who lost their lives yesterday,” said Judy Freeman, OSHA’s Area Director in Wichita. “Aerial lifts are commonly used in construction and maintenance activities and present various hazards to workers. OSHA will conduct a thorough investigation to see if any violations of OSHA standards contributed to this tragic incident.”

OSHA’s investigation which will include gathering evidence, interviewing employees, and reviewing relevant company records and documents. OSHA may issue citations and penalties if the agency finds violations of OSHA standards or law.

For information on the OSHA inspection process, click here.

Queens ice cream man, 69, electrocuted to death while trying to fix a light fixture in the attic





Stavros Stathopoulos, known as Steve the Ice Cream Man in Queens, was hit with a fatal electric shock while working on a bathroom light fixture on Tuesday, sources said. (Courtesy Stathopoulos Family)
BY Andy Mai Rocco Parascandola John Annese
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, June 30, 2016, 5:01 AM

A beloved ice cream man was electrocuted while working on a bathroom light fixture in his Queens attic, police sources said Wednesday.

Stavros Stathopoulos, 69, was working in his 137th Rd. home in Rosedale on Tuesday afternoon when he was fatally jolted, sources said. Emergency personnel rushed him to Franklin General Hospital, where he died.

Sobbing as she spoke, Stathopoulos' wife, Ourania, said she tried to drag him away, only to get shocked herself.

“He went up to the bathroom to fix the light and he was so sweaty and that's the problem,” she said.

 Known around Queens as “Steve the Ice Cream Man,” the immigrant from Greece drove a truck for 40 years before retiring in 2012.

His customers, who created a Facebook page about him, threw him a surprise party in 2015 after learning of his retirement, according to a DNAinfo report.

Stathopoulos started selling ice cream after coming to the United States, said his son-in-law, Spiros Dandouras, 46.

"That was his job when he first got to the States and started working in restaurants and then he got involved in the ice cream business, Dandouras said. “When you're an immigrant, you do what you need to do. ... He loved life, no day was the same for him.”

On Wednesday, dozens of people left condolences and posted on the “STEVE the Ice Cream Man” Facebook page.

More than 1,000 ComEd customers were without power after a vault explosion and fire on the Near North Side in Chicago




More than 1,000 without power after ComEd vault fire


More than 1,000 ComEd customers were without power Thursday evening after a vault fire on the Near North Side.

Firefighters responded shortly before 6 p.m. when the ComEd vault caught fire near North Larrabee and West Oak streets, according to Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Curtis Hudson.

A minor explosion was reported, knocking sewer covers off in the area, Hudson said. The fire was under control by 7:50 p.m.

Two Chicago Police Department officers experience ringing in their ears after the explosion, Hudson said. One officer was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, while the other officer drove himself there.

As of about 8 p.m., 1,138 ComEd customers were without power, said spokeswoman Lydia Hall.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Buildings evacuated after underground vault explosion in downtown St. Louis after transformer explodes




New transformer being installed after an underground explosion in downtown St. Louis on June 28 (Credit: KMOV)

Firefighters putting out an underground vault explosion in downtown St. Louis on June 28. Credit: Geoff Kennedy ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV.com) -


New transformer being installed after underground explosion in downtown St. Louis


 An underground vault explosion forced several buildings in downtown St. Louis to be evacuated Tuesday night.

According to Ameren officials, a transformer exploded near the intersection of 10th and Olive around 6:30 p.m. It was caused when a cable failed, the utility said.

“My entire building is made out brick and we have cement floors and it felt like something hit the building, our entire building shook,” said Karri Boumann, an area resident.

At least three nearby buildings were evacuated. All residents have been allowed back inside the buildings.

Fire crews were able to put out the fire quickly, allowing the roadway to reopen.

Some people were without power for a short time, but it has since been restored.

Ameren says the age of grid is one reason why the fire occurred.

"Some of the equipment dates back all the way to around 1900, the equipment that failed last night was from the 1940s," said David Wakeman, Sr. Vice President of Ameren.

Ameren also said the heat in June contributed to the fire. Ameren crews are installing a new transformer at 10th and Locust.

The new transformer will cost $60,000. It is just part of the $25 million a year budget for grid updates.

During the third week of June, a portion of 7th and Market was closed and there were widespread power outages after an electric fire started in a manhole.

Copyright 2016 KMOV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

The tap water in a House office building has elevated lead levels and may be unsafe to drink


 



House office building’s water contaminated with lead 

  By Timothy Cama - 06/29/16 09:49 AM EDT


The tap water in a House office building has elevated lead levels and may be unsafe to drink, congressional officials told staff.

William Weidemeyer, superintendent for the House office buildings in Washington, sent staff a “dear colleagues” letter late Tuesday warning about the high lead in the Cannon House Office Building.“This week, the AOC received results within the Cannon House Office Building that indicate lead levels in drinking water sources are slightly above the [Environmental Protection Agency] standard,” Weidemeyer wrote in the letter, first reported by Politico.

He said the Architect of the Capitol is investigating the cause of the increase and said, in the meantime, drinking water sources would be shut off as a precaution.

The building is providing bottled water to staff while the water sources are shut off.

Cannon is the oldest of the congressional office buildings, built in 1908, when lead pipes were common for drinking water. The building is undergoing a decade-long renovation.


The EPA sets 15 parts per billion as its lead “action level” — the point at which warnings and enforcement action can begin.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that no level of lead is safe for human consumption. At high exposure levels, it can cause nervous system problems, developmental issues and brain and kidney damage.

The warning comes amid high national attention toward lead in drinking water, spurred by Flint, Mich.’s contamination crisis, elevated lead levels in the public schools in Newark, N.J., and other instances.

Fire destroys Detroit condo apartments









Fire breaks out at Detroit condo building
Fire is at Lodge Freeway, Selden
By Halston Herrera - Digital news editor Posted: 10:35 AM, July 01, 2016
 
DETROIT - No one was hurt Friday morning when flames ripped through a condo building in Detroit near Selden and the Lodge Freeway.

The two men who lived in the condo where the fire started were sleeping, but woke up when they heard the fire alarm and got out safely.
 
Sky4 was over the scene showing the brave firefighters at work.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Hazmat spill reported at Coca-Cola bottling factory in west Detroit





Portion of West Warren Avenue shut down for spill
By Halston Herrera - Digital news editor Posted: 10:09 AM, July 01, 2016 Updated: 10:53 AM, July 01, 2016


 
DETROIT - A hazmat spill was reported Friday morning at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. factory in west Detroit.

The factory is at 5981 West Warren Avenue, which is near Livernois and McGraw avenues.
A stretch of West Warren Avenue in that immediate area is closed off because of the spill.

Stay with Local 4 News and ClickOnDetroit.com for updates to this developing story.

Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting, Forensics, and Environmental Remediation Services. Construction, Investigation, Remediation and Forensic Expert Engineers


Construction Defects, Construction Claims, Engineering, Property & Casualty Investigations, Assessment, Site Investigation, Remediation, Litigation and Indoor-Air Expert Engineers

Bill Stephan, PhD, PE, CIH, CHMM, JD, MBA
Principal Engineer

P.O. Box 520
Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520
Phone: (973) 897-8162
Fax: (973) 810-0440



__________________________________________________



Firm Overview


The engineering and forensic firm of Metropolitan Forensics and Consulting Engineering and Environmental Services was established for the purpose of providing a high value service to the insurance industry and to the insured companies or individuals. Our founding principal (Bill Stephan) is a licensed professional engineer in several states, including, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.



We specialize in the in-situ remediation of petroleum and chlorinated spills, the defense of liability claims, the investigation and defense of first or third party insurance claims and the handling of subrogation claims.  We are also experts on oil and gas energy sector issues (design, investigations, construction oversight), renewable energy sector (wind turbines, solar panels, biofuels, etc), vapor intrusion evaluation, vapor phase and transport and in design on vapor mitigation systems.  Additionally, we offer forensic engineering services, including age-dating of contaminant releases, construction defects, oversight, evaluation of remedial alternatives, sub-slab ventilation system design and installation.  The list of our core services is:



  • Cause and Origin Investigations
  • Construction Failure Analysis (Residential, Industrial and Commercial)
  • Structural Integrity Evaluation
  • Site Investigation
  • Tank removals and tank installations; licensed and insured to perform entire UST work
  • In-Situ Remediation of Soil and Groundwater
  • Vapor intrusion, indoor air evaluation and mitigation
  • Causation
  • Forensic Investigations (age-dating)
  • Oversight
  • Review of Remedial Action Work Plans
  • Reserve Estimation
  • Cost Allocation
  • RAWP Preparation
  • Site Remediation
  • Cleanup Level Development and Negotiation
  • Subrogation
  • Expert Witness/Litigation Support
  • Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) Services
  • Construction Claims (Delay, Differing Site Conditions, Loss of Productivity, Acceleration, and others)

 



















Additional Specialty Service Areas

Age Dating
Boilers & Burners
Bridges
Building Codes
Building Inspections


Construction Accident
   Reconstruction
Construction Defects
Construction Delay Claims

Construction Surety Claims
Construction Disputes
Construction Differing Condition Claims
Construction Oversight
Construction Management
Construction Acceleration Claims

Construction Failures
Construction Injuries
Contractor Performance Issues
Corrosion


Defective Designs
Defective Roadway Design
   Evaluations


Earthquake
Electrical Accidents/Injuries
Electrical Equipment Failures
Electrical Fires
Elevators, Escalators
   & Conveyors
Embedded Software Hazards
   & Analysis
Equipment Failures
Errors and Omissions
Explosions

Failure Analysis
Fire
Fire Codes
Fire Protection Systems
Fire Suppression Systems

Flood Damage Assessment

Foundation Systems

Gas Systems

Hailstorm damage

Heating & Ventilation Systems
Heavy Construction
Highway/Roadway Design
Human Factors


Indoor Air Quality
Laboratory Services
Ladders, Scaffolding Falls
   & Failures
Lightning

Mechanical Defect Evaluations
Metallurgical Age Dating
Mold Causation
Natural Disasters/Weather
   Related Issues
Nuclear Energy
Occupational Hazards
   & Illness

Piping
Playground Equipment Injuries
Plumbing
Product Failures
Roofing Problems & Failures
Safety Codes
Safety & Human Factors
   Engineering
Scalding
Scene Mapping and Photographs
Sick Building Syndrome
Sports Equipment Injuries
Standardized Codes
Steam Systems
Subrogation Issues


Transportation Issues
Trips, Slips & Falls
Underground Storage Tanks
Utilities Expertise
Vibration
Water Damage
Windstorm



Mission Statement


Our mission is to work as an extension of our clients to expeditiously achieve the most economically favorable resolution of claims on their behalf and on behalf of their insured. We have developed and will continue to create new solutions to the technical problems and issues which are facing the insurance industry and the insureds today.  

Metropolitan provides forensic engineering work (age-dating or fingerprinting), site remediation, auditing, cost control and litigation support services to insurance carriers, their insureds and to private or public companies.  In its risk management role, examines, manages and audits environmental claims to ensure that assessment and remediation services provided to both carriers and policy holders are reasonable and necessary, properly rendered and appropriately charged. 



In its litigation support role, Metropolitan assists carriers and their counsel to ensure that litigious disputes are resolved fairly and reimbursement benefits are provided when appropriate.  The corporations service area includes the entire United States, with our corporate office located in Northern New Jersey.  The Firm's professional staff also travels regularly throughout the United States on assignment.


Forensics at Metropolitan


There are many issues associated with disputes over responsibility for cleanup. Who, what, when, where, and how chemicals were released can be investigated. The tools of forensic investigation include mathematical models, statistical models, fate and transport calculations, chromatography, lead isotope analyses, time of travel assessments, library search site characterization, tracer additives, and recently developed software applications.



Effective forensic project management should include an evaluation of multiple forensic tools based on site specific circumstances. The process of evaluation and the ultimate selection of the forensic tool are critical to a successful outcome. When project budgets allow, combining forensic methods for corroborative evidence can substantially strengthen your client’s position in an effort to prevent or support litigation. The effective forensic consultant must be well acquainted with an ever expanding list of analytical methods, environmental regulations, assessment procedures and remedial technologies.



The forensic field is one that utilizes a wide range of scientific tools to identify and characterize complex adverse environmental events. Some of the scientific disciplines involved in forensics include engineering principles (biological, physical and chemical), hydrology, lithology, geology, site history, site practices, mathematics, and statistics. These areas may be combined with technologies such as respiratory analyses, chromatography/mass spectrometry and chemical fingerprinting methods to answer complex questions with the ultimate goal of establishing responsibility for a particular event. Accurate, defensible forensic analyses are an essential component of any strategy that attempts to resolve the extent of the insurer or insured client responsibilities in the cleanup of contaminants.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic services.



Property Damage Services at Metropolitan

Metropolitan assists property owners, claims professionals, businesses, and attorneys in   the assessment of the cause & origin (C&O), extent of damage and required restoration after pipe bursts, settlements, manufacturing and construction failures, fire, flood, earthquake, or storm damage.  Our teams of engineers have extensive experience in the many systems that make up a building including structural, mechanical and electrical systems.   We also have the necessary background to evaluate property damage to items such as communications towers or solar panels. We can help determine alternative, appropriate, and cost effective solutions for repair or restoration of any damaged property, both commercial and residential. 

Providing Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services.

Our experts are multi-skilled, competent, and objective professionals who apply their analytical and common sense skills to reconstruct, determine the root cause, and document the events that give rise to property, casualty, and liability claims.  Thorough investigations and detailed measurements/research help us distinguish between pre-existing conditions and sudden and accidental losses.


 















Our investigations are:

·         Comprehensive & Accurate

·         Legible & Easy to Understand

·         Timely Performed

·         Delivered Quickly

·         Cost Effective

·         Clear & Concise

·         Developed by Professionals

·         Dependable

·         Our own uniform reporting system saves time and money.


Our Fast Track Investigation and Uniform Format Reporting systems allow us to conduct and deliver a comprehensive response to the assigned claim.  In most cases, we will obtain findings based on a site visit, visual observations, photographs, interviews, and field measurements.  Further investigations and testing will be provided upon request and approval by the client.



Forensic Investigation of Property Damage Claims

Metropolitan Consulting, Engineering & Forensics understands your need to complete a claim investigation accurately and efficiently as possible.  Whether it is accident reconstruction, damage due to environmental forces such as wind, water, hail, snow, tornado, etc.; fire origin & cause investigation or any other claim, the engineers at Metropolitan understand both you and your client want to resolve the claim.  The analysis you receive from Metropolitan will be accurate and complete, giving you the information needed in the claim adjustment and analysis.

Our services have extended beyond the forensic analysis phase into the remediation and repair phase of many large loss claims.  Upon the completion of the cause and origin (C&O) investigation, Metropolitan can provide our clients with complete working drawings and specifications needed to repair or rebuilt damaged buildings or other structures.  Metropolitan Consulting & Engineering’ staff possesses many-many years of experience in rehabilitation design, construction management, and project oversight to ensure the loss is restored in a timely and cost-effective manner without sacrificing quality.  Building code knowledge allows us to identify possible code upgrades as needed.  Metropolitan understands constructability and realizes making an insured whole goes beyond forensic investigation and design. We pride ourselves in providing practical solutions contractors can understand and follow.

At the forefront of available technology, we provide professionals and staff capable of handling a variety of engineering evaluations.  Our reports are clear, concise, complete and efficiently produced.  Our engineering objectives are achieved in an ethical manner consistent with the traditions and character of engineering professionals.

Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our property damage services.


Extensive Experience helping Sureties

Metropolitan also has extensive experience helping sureties fulfill their bond obligations resolve disputes after a contractor has defaulted.  This work includes the evaluation of contractor bid pricing, evaluation of the contractor’s ability to perform work, risk assessment, evaluation of termination, construction completion services, claim and litigation support services, loss recovery services, evaluation of payment bond claims, negotiation and settlement of payment bond claims, and construction defects investigation services.  Metropolitan has provided these services for commercial, development, educational, and assisted living projects.

Construction is a business fraught with risk.  Disputes over even the smallest of issues can quickly escalate, with crippling consequences to the project and the parties.  Over the years, the construction industry has developed various methods of contractually allocating the risk of project delay and disruption.  Some of these methods include liquidated damages provisions, "no damages for delay" clauses, mutual waivers of consequential damages, provisions that limit liability, claims notice provisions, and provisions addressing responsibility for the adequacy of the construction plans and specifications.  Parties frequently litigate the sufficiency of these risk-shifting efforts in conjunction with the underlying merits of delay and disruption disputes.
Construction Claims & Disputes
The most frequently encountered claims include:
1.            Construction Delay Claims
2.            Disruption and Loss of Labor Productivity Claims
3.            Design and Construction Defect Claims
4.            Force Majeure Claims
5.            Acceleration or Compression of the Schedule Claims
6.            Suspension, Termination and Default Claims
7.            Differing Site Conditions Claims
8.            Change Order and Extra Work Claims
9.            Cost Overrun Claims
10.         Unacceptable Workmanship or Substituted Material Claims
11.         Non-payment Claims (stop notice (or Notice to Withhold) claims, mechanics’ lien (only for private construction projects) and payment bond claims)



Forensic Engineering Experience Case Studies


Metropolitan staff has developed and utilized scientific methods to assist clients in a variety of ways related to their claim issues. The following is a partial list of such projects:

  • Provided expert witness services for plaintiff seeking remediation of contaminated groundwater that caused indoor air inhalation problems;
  • Testified that engineering and scientific evidence was improperly collected and analyzed and was inadequate to show the age of the release;
  • Origin and cause of retaining wall failures.  
  • Lightning damage to structures or electrical systems and equipment
  • Roof failure or collapse as a result of accumulated load, additional weight and snow drift at hundreds of commercial and residential properties.
  • Demonstrated that solvents in groundwater at client's property originated from off-site dry-cleaner and that client's site actually provided remediation for the off-site release of dry cleaning solvent;
  • Expert witness for property owner impacted by industrial waste disposal from industrial manufacturer;
  • Demonstrated that environmental analysis by a previous consultant for a manufacturing site was inadequate; as a result, the lender's concerns were alleviated and financing proceeded;
  • Chemical "age-dating" and contaminant transport analyses of petroleum in groundwater at a gas station showed that contaminants originated from other parties;
  • Age-dated petroleum release at a former gas station to show that the previous owner of the gas station caused groundwater contamination;
  • Age-dated petroleum releases at an industrial facility to show that the on-site plume was the result of an off-site source;
  • Prepared age-dating reports for over one-hundred residential fuel oil spills;
  • Assisted insurance companies attorneys in defending subrogation claims; was able to demonstrate that the forensic data collected by the first party consultant were collected and analyzed using invalid methods;
  • Demonstrated that structural damage to a residence was from a source other than the alleged high lake level
  • Collected evidence (for the primary responsible party) that identified other responsible parties to share in the cost of a Superfund cleanup;
  • Review of the site data at a bulk petroleum facility indicated that the site releases were not the result of regular oil transfer operations and that they were caused by the negligent actions of the insured’s agents; the case was settled in favor of the insurance company;
  • Was able to demonstrate that the majority of the removal actions at petroleum release sites were neither reasonable nor necessary; as a result of our opinion, the insurance client settled the claim in favorable terms;
  • At several drycleaner sites we were able to demonstrate that the age of the release was much earlier than the parties originally believed; as a result, the insurance client settled the claim at a fraction of the alleged liability;
  • We performed numerous flood and wind damage assessments at commercial and residential properties.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic engineering services.




Site Remediation Services


 Characterizing and remediating contaminated sites involve some of the most complex and difficult issues for environmental lawyers and their clients. Problem areas include responding to regulators; negotiating enforcement settlements; negotiating or litigating cost allocation and recovery claims; working with the insured or insurer client, lawyers and regulators to develop efficient, cost-effective remediation approaches; and selling, buying, or developing contaminated properties.



Metropolitan staff has developed and applied an innovative approach to the use of sodium persulfate for the sequential in-situ treatment of subsurface contaminants through chemical oxidation followed by enhanced biological degradation through sulfate reduction. This approach has broad applicability to a wide range of contaminants, and shows strong cost-saving benefits through reducing the initial volume of chemical oxidant necessary and enhancing the in-situ biological degradation of contaminants.



Through proper subsurface geochemical characterization and chemical dosing design, the approach focuses on utilizing the oxidant for immediate mass reduction at the source area, followed by degradation or polishing of the residual contamination using sulfate reducing bacteria.  Depending upon the oxidant activation method, this approach is applicable to petroleum hydrocarbons including both volatiles and PAHs, chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) including chlorinated ethene, ethane and methane groups, as well as PCBs.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Site Remediation Services.





Vapor Intrusion and Indoor-Air Studies


Vapor intrusion has received increased attention over the last few years near contaminated sites because some contaminants have the potential to migrate into nearby buildings and negatively affect indoor air quality. The accumulation of these volatile vapors in buildings can result in significant safety and health concerns.
To properly evaluate vapor intrusion a thorough evaluation of the building's ventilation system and subsurface conditions needs to be conducted by a knowledgeable professional in accordance with state and federal established procedures. 
The evaluation process typically includes a thorough building chemical inventory, the advancement of soil gas probes and the collection of soil gas samples. When indoor air quality problems are identified they can normally be resolved through the modification/installation of a properly designed ventilation system.
Metropolitan is well experienced with U.S. EPA and State vapor intrusion investigation techniques. We have completed numerous vapor intrusion and indoor air quality studies at commercial and residential properties. We have the experience to identify and resolve indoor vapor intrusion problems and the practical know-how to resolve indoor quality issues in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Vapor Intrusion and Indoor Air Studies.




Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting, Forensics, and Environmental Remediation Services.


Construction, Investigation, Remediation and Forensic Expert  Engineers

P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520

Ph.: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440



Contact: Dr. Bill N. Stephan, PhD, PE, JD, CIH, MBA, CHMM





Insurance claim examiners, insureds, insurers, insurance adjusters and risk managers use Metropolitan for determining cause, evaluating the extent of damage, determining the age of the release, separating unrelated damage, analyzing loss scopes and managing restoration data, determining costs to repair, restore or replace, and preparing for insurance appraisals.



Attorneys call on Metropolitan for help when preparing for Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution such as arbitration and mediation